System for connecting a blood pump without trapping air bubbles

• US 8,911,391 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitalmex Internacional SA de CV
• Original Assignee: Vitalmex Internacional SA de CV
• Inventors: Duenas, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): DEAK, LESLIE R
• Application Number:
  US13/276,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 604/6.16, 604/4.01, 604/6.1, 604/6.14, 604/122, 604/533, 606/16
• US Class Current: 604/6.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3626 Gas bubble detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/00 Tubes, tube connectors, tube couplings, valves, access sites or the like, specially adapted for medical use for respiratory devices, e.g. tracheal tubes A61M16/00; artificial heart valves A61F2/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/02 Access sites
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/36 with means for eliminating or preventing injection or infusion of air into body dialysis systems, blood oxygenators A61M1/14; haemofiltration equipment A61M1/34; automatic tube cut-off A61M39/281
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/117 for assisting the heart, e.g. transcutaneous or external ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/183 drawing blood from both ventricles, e.g. bi-ventricular assist devices [BiVAD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/859 Connections therefor

Abstract

A system for connecting medical tubing or any other type of fluidic circuit conduits (e.g., cannulae) to a ventricular assist device (“VAD”) or any other pumping device used for blood pumping during cardiac circulatory support for vascular surgery. The system prevents air bubbles from entering a cardiac circulatory support system when connecting cannulae to a VAD that may later enter the blood stream of a patient during cardiac surgery, and also provide for purging any air bubbles that may have entered the cardiac circulatory support system during a cannulae-VAD connection.

Claims

1. A system for connecting cannulae to a cardiac circulatory support device for use in a cardiac circulatory support system, the system comprising:

two disposable purging (“

DIP”

) devices each having a distal ending and a proximal ending;

a cardiac circulatory support device for use in a cardiac circulatory support system having inflow and outflow ports;

connectors configured to attach the distal ending of a connector to each of the inflow and outflow ports; and

cannulae configured for attachment to each of the inflow and outflow ports,

wherein the proximal ending of each of the two DIP devices is configured to connect to one of the connectors, and

the distal ending of each of the two DIP devices is configured for insertion of a cannula within the DIP device such that the cannulae can be inserted into the DIP devices at the distal endings and attached to the inflow and outflow ports of the cardiac support device.

2. The system of claim 1, where the cardiac circulatory support device is a ventricular assist device (“

VAD”

).

3. The system of claim 2, where the DIP devices include an air outlet adaptable for the removal of air from an assembly including the VAD and the DIP devices.